Sweet Dreams
by Aerianaa
Summary: Oliver Wood goes to Hogwarts for his seventh year not wanting anything except the Quidditch Cup. But when he discovers a girl he’s never noticed before, he longs for more than just a Quidditch victory. OWOC. Rating will change.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sweet Dreams

Summary: Oliver Wood goes to Hogwarts for his seventh year not wanting anything except the Quidditch Cup. But when he discovers a girl he's never noticed before, and what a real relationship means, he longs for more than just a Quidditch victory.

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, except for Alice.

A/N Hey guys! This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fic, so let me know what you think. This story takes place in Harry's third year, Oliver's seventh. The events are in order with the book, so check me if you wish…they should be right. Well, I suppose that's all! Enjoy!

Chapter One

Alice Whiting was a witch. Her father was a muggle, yes, but her mother was a witch, and so, seven years ago, Alice had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She was currently standing on Platform 9 ¾ with her best friend Penelope Clearwater. Percy Weasley, Penelope's boyfriend, was strutting his way through the crowd, chest thrown out. 

"I can't see how you are dating him!" Alice muttered as he approached. "You're so different."

Percy pointedly scratched his chest, drawing attention to the shiny Head Boy badge pinned there.

"Not so much," Penny said out of the corner of her mouth. "I'm a prefect, and we both are studious…"

She would have continued, but Percy had come within hearing distance. "Ah, Penelope. You look lovely, as usual."

Penny tossed a curly lock of hair over her shoulder and laughed. Alice rolled her eyes. Her friend was not coy (Alice thought), but whenever she was around Percy, she became a bit flirty.

"Why, hello Alice. I trust you had a good summer?"

Realizing that she was being addressed, Alice responded. "It was uneventful, but not so bad. And how was yours, Percy?"

"Wonderful," he beamed. "I spent the summer in Egypt with my family, exploring. It was great fun. Of course, I missed dear Penny horribly. But, seeing as how I've been given a new owl, I was able to write her frequently."

Penelope smiled and nodded. Alice sighed resignedly. She didn't dislike Percy—he was a very good person and Penny liked him a lot—but he did seem to grate on her nerves a bit. But no matter.

Percy wasn't particularly fond of his girlfriend's best friend either. She was casual and good-natured…all things he should have been pleased with. But her laid-back demeanor was not exactly compatible with his perfectionist nature.

Percy also had a feeling that Alice did not approve of the match. He knew Penelope had been a lot different before they met…possibly more reckless and outgoing, like her best friend. But the two tolerated each other, and were very polite, nonetheless.

"Shall we find a compartment?" Percy said as the Hogwarts Express let out a loud warning hiss.

The three of them hopped on the train and searched for an empty compartment, which they found near the middle of the train. Alice seated herself by the window and relaxed. She looked up to see the other two still standing.

"We—er—Percy has Head Boy duties."

Alice looked at them questioningly.

"He wanted me to accompany him."

"But you aren't Head Girl," Alice pointed out, as if Penelope had forgotten.

Penny pinkened a shade. "I thought it would be alright with you if I went…if not, I'll stay here…"

"No, go on. I have some summer potions homework I left to the last minute anyway."

"Are you sure?" Percy asked in an unconvincingly concerned voice.

"Quite. Go on, and I'll save your seats."

They turned and walked out of the compartment as the train lurched into motion. Feeling very alone, Alice sighed and reached into the overhead bins. She pulled out an unfinished essay on the complicated procedure of making Polyjuice Potion. They weren't, of course, allowed to brew something so dangerous, but Professor Snape had them write two feet of parchment on the ingredients and results.

The essay was placed in her lap, and her quill was poised over the parchment, but Alice's mind was elsewhere. A rain had started up, and was merrily plinking itself against the thick windows. Soon the quill sagged in her hand and her head sank against the plush seat as Alice began to doze.

Alice awoke with a start as the compartment door slammed. For a moment she thought it was Percy and Penny returning, but it was too soon for that. She scanned the compartment briefly, finding that four boys had joined her.

"Morning, sunshine!" crowed one of the identical redheads. Alice sat up quickly, and tried to smooth down her hair. A huge inkblot was soaking her paper and the muggle jeans she wore, and Alice quickly tried to clean up the mess her idle quill had made.

"Hope you don't mind us barging in," said a tall boy apologetically.

"No, no problem," Alice said distractedly, scrubbing at the black spot on the knee of her jeans. She dearly hoped she hadn't been napping with her mouth wide open…or drooling. Alice shuddered and inconspicuously wiped her chin. She was relieved to find it dry.

"I'm Fred, and this is George," declared one of the redheads.

Alice looked up. "Oh, you're Percy Weasley's brothers, aren't you?"

The one called Fred looked pained. "No, no we aren't."

Fred Weasley was seated beside her, and across from her sat George, a black boy with braided hair, and the tall boy.

The black boy laughed. "Yes, he is, but I'd deny it if I were him as well. Percy's a bit of a dingbat. I'm Lee Jordan, a fifth year, in Gryffindor."

Alice smiled. "I've never seen a dingbat before, but I'll take your word for it. You're the commentator for the Quidditch matches, aren't you?" Lee nodded. "I'm Alice Whiting, a seventh year, in Ravenclaw."

"Well, as long as someone as pretty as you isn't in Slytherin, we'll let you stay." George stretched lazily and yawned.

"I'm a seventh year too," commented the tall one, seated beside the door. "Though I'm in Gryffindor with the rest of these blokes." He reached his hand across. "Oliver Wood."

Alice shook his hand politely. His grip was firm and his hand was warm. "I've seen you around…nice to be formally introduced." She paused. "So, now that I am trapped in a train compartment with all these good-looking boys, how ever will I ever escape?" she said lightly, smiling around at them.

"You won't," said Lee Jordan provocatively, waggling his eyebrows at her. Everyone in the compartment laughed, including Alice.

"Aren't you three on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?" she asked, indicating Fred, George, and Oliver. They nodded.

"You play Quidditch?" asked Oliver eagerly.

"Afraid not. I've always been a bit scared of heights."

 Oliver looked disappointed.

Fred and George were staring at her. "Do you like Quidditch?"  
            Alice shrugged. "I come to all the school matches, but I don't really understand it."

All four of the boys groaned. Fred jumped back as if she had hit him, and made a show of holding his cheek and wallowing on the plush seat next to her. Alice laughed nervously.

"Its not very hard to understand," Lee Jordan pointed out. He reached out and tugged one of the blonde curls that had escaped Alice's loose ponytail.

"We'll teach you," said Oliver firmly.

And so Alice spent the next hour, not working on her Potions homework, but learning everything there was to know about Quidditch. The boys went beyond the rules of the game to explain special moves, plays, tactics, etc. She tried to appear interested, but her attention strayed completely when they began arguing about different teams.

"Turkey did rotten against Canada in the play-offs, but they've got great Chasers," Fred pointed out, his mouth full of chocolate frog. The witch who pushed the food cart had come along in the middle of the explanation of the Levski play, which involved one of the Chasers doing a sloth-roll and catching the Quaffle upside-down. Alice had been quite relieved when George Weasley found Zograf, a player on the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, on his chocolate frog card. This sparked a whole new conversation about big-league Quidditch.

"Yes, but look at France's beaters…those chaps have kept them going strong in the semi-finals…amazing," Lee Jordan said, ripping open a Cauldron Cake.

The lanterns over the luggage bins had come on as the rain drummed harder against the window. The world outside was hurdling by, but it was impossible to see anything for the fog and darkness. Suddenly, however, the train slowed down, and pulled to a creaky stop.

Oliver Wood looked up. "Are we there already?"

"We can't be," George said, shifting aside his sweet wrappers. Oliver, being closest to door, stood up to peer outside the compartment. He did quite make it to the door though, as all the lanterns snuffed out, enveloping them in total darkness.

"Do you think we've broken down?" Alice asked, now sitting up alertly.

Then there were a great deal of "oofs" and "erghs" as the compartment door slid open, and then shut again.

"What the hell?" one of the twins yelled, before being cut off as if a weight had dropped on him.

"Ah, Weasley…if we had known you were in this compartment, we wouldn't have joined the fun," said a cold voice. It became clear that Crabbe (or Goyle) had seated himself on top of an unfortunate twin.

"Malfoy!" one of the Weasleys spat (they sounded identical). "No one asked you to come in here!"

They commenced to shout recklessly even as the air around them turned frigid.

"Enough!" shouted Alice.

"You've got a _girl_ in here, Weasley? I didn't know girls talked to you. Excepting the mudblood ones."

"You…!" sputtered one of the boys, either Lee or Oliver. There was some minor scuffling and then a muffled thud, as if someone had been punched.

"Stop it!" Alice said in a low voice, hoping it sounded calm. However, if anyone listened close enough they could hear a slight tremor of emotions in her otherwise steady voice as anger, panic, and worry coursed their way through her body.

The boy named Malfoy sneered something, but Alice had stood up and was stepping over the many legs towards the door. She reached for the handle but something made her break away, and stumble backwards.

"Oh my g--"

She fell backwards against someone as a cold feeling took a hold of her. Alice's stomach suddenly seemed frosted over, and a dreadful feeling engulfed her. Distantly, she heard Malfoy whimper, but everywhere else there was silence.

Even as she watched, Alice could see something dark pass by the glass door, and whomever she was cowering against put their arms around her.

For a moment that seemed like eternity, everyone held their breath. Alice was remembering the moment when her grandfather died…the grief and anguish, and then another memory flashed before her, when she was five years old and a large dog came running at her, teeth bared, froth dangling from its snarling lips. The terror, the waiting for the pain.

And then it slowly receded. The coldness was gone and the lamps tentatively flickered back on. To Alice's acute embarrassment, she was wedged between Oliver Wood and the corner of the of the compartment seat. His arms were still around her, though they were weighted as if he had forgotten they were there. She looked up at him. He was staring at the ceiling, his breathing shallow as if he were in a nightmare. Sitting up a bit, but feeling weak, she looked around. Malfoy and his two bullies were all looking pale. Fred had his face in his hands and the other two boys were looking away.

Without a word, Malfoy stood up and slid the compartment door open, though it was as if he did it in slow motion. His two massive bodyguards followed.

No one said anything. It was as if everyone was too weak to move. They all just lay there for a moment before someone opened the compartment door with a slam that jolted them out of their daze.

A shabby looking wizard was standing there, holding out his hand. He looked tired and gray. Fred automatically took what he was offering.

"Chocolate?" the redhead croaked.

The man nodded. "Trust me, you'll feel better."

Then he was gone.

Fred broke up the chocolate and passed it out. Alice noticed his hand was shaking. They all took a bit, and must have felt better for it, for some meager conversation started up. Oliver had removed his arms, and was busy looking anywhere but where Alice was. She shakily stood up, realizing that four people crammed onto one seat was too many. She half-crawled back to her seat beside Fred, opposite Lee, Oliver, and George.

The rest of the journey did not seem to take anytime at all, and soon the train pistons were hissing as it halted. There was an uncomfortable moment, when they thought the hooded creature would return, but the lamps remained bright, and soon there was the sound of many people walking through the train and unloading.

All the boys simultaneously stood, and Alice did as well, though feeling incredibly short compared to the towering bodies around her. They all began to leave the compartment and join the growing crowd on the platform.

Alice met up with Penny and Percy, both of whom looked a bit pale.

"Goodbye, Alice!" called George cheerfully. "I will dream of you tonight!"

Alice laughed, feeling the best she had since the incident on the train. "And that's all you will do, George Weasley…dream!"

George put his hand on his chest as if he was broken hearted, and Lee energetically waved goodbye. Oliver and Fred were headed towards a horseless carriage. Oliver nodded at her, and Fred smiled. Soon the crowd around them moved so that the four boys were no longer visible. Alice felt a little warmer at their goodbyes.

Percy, however, sniffed a bit as they made their way to the carriages. "So you sat with my brothers, I see."

"Yes," Alice said vaguely. "They were very entertaining."

Percy didn't say anything, but helped Penny into the carriage, which soon set off for the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Sweet Dreams

Summary: Oliver Wood goes to Hogwarts for his seventh year not wanting anything except the Quidditch Cup. But when he discovers a girl he's never noticed before, he longs for more than just a Quidditch victory. OWOC. Rating will change.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Chapter Two

* * *

Oliver seated himself in the Great Hall and was just about to serve himself some sausage when Fred Weasley nudged him.

"Schedules," he explained, handing Oliver a stack over the breakfast dishes. "So what about that girl last night on the train…haven't noticed her before."

Oliver nodded absently, flipping through the papers to find his name. He was trying not to think of the Hogwarts Express, and was a bit ashamed of himself for his forward manner when the dementor passed by. When he did think of it, his stomach dropped a bit. Seeing "Wood, Oliver" on the top of a card, he handed the sheaf over the table to George, who was seated across from him, beside his little brother Ron, and Ron's friend Harry.

"So you didn't say much last night…awfully quiet," commented Fred lowly, still pushing the subject of the girl.

"Yeah, well, I didn't have much to say."

Fred quirked an eyebrow at him and shoveled some eggs into his mouth. Malfoy was doing swooning impressions over at the Slytherin table, and George was assuring Harry and Ron that he had not been so brave when he came running into their compartment on the train.

"Anyway," said Fred, picking up on the conversation. "We'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

Oliver felt better, thinking of Quidditch, but it also made him feel shaky. This was his last year at Hogwarts…he wanted to cup so bad he could taste it.

He glanced at Harry, who was spooning fried tomatoes onto his plate, looking more cheerful. Harry was the Seeker for the Gryffindor team, and had, so far, not lost the team a match. Oliver could see himself with the Quidditch cup, holding it high. His hand trembled a bit as he dipped some eggs onto his own plate. Excitement and nervousness blossomed in his chest.

To get his mind off the season that hadn't even started yet, Oliver glanced at his schedule. He had Charms first, with Slytherin, and then Herbology with Hufflepuff. Then lunch. Then Transfiguration with Ravenclaw and Care of Magical Creatures with Slytherin again.

"Oy! Alice!" called George. Alice and Penelope had stood up from their table and were about to head out of the Great Hall.

Alice glanced over, and smiled.

"Come on, Penny," Alice said coaxingly to Penelope, who looked a bit torn about Alice's friendship with Percy's boisterous brothers. "You have to get your good quill back from Percy anyway." Penny nodded but looked reluctant. They headed over to the Gryffindor table where Fred and George were waving.

"Did you have a good sleep?" questioned George.

"Yes, I did. I trust your sleep was filled with dreams of me?" Alice laughed, and so did the twins.

"Why Oliver, you're going a bit red!" exclaimed Fred incredulously. Oliver had indeed gone slightly pink, and his eyes were fixed on his bacon.

There was a round of laughter and Fred winked at Alice. "George might not have had any dreams, but it looks like Oliver did."

Oliver darkened another shade and pushed his bacon around on his plate. He could feel eyes on him, and forced himself to look up and meet the pondering, clear-eyed gaze of Alice.

She grinned at him. He managed to smile back. There was an awkward moment where no one said anything. Oliver couldn't deny having a dream, but he didn't exactly want to share it with the whole Gryffindor table.

"So what's on your schedule, Oliver?" Alice said, breaking the silence and deftly changing the subject.

Oliver was relieved as the occupants of the table jumped back into motion again. Penny began to question Percy, Fred and George began to talk to Ron, and Alice was looking right at him.

"Oh! Er, I have Transfiguration with you, it looks like."

Oliver handed her his schedule. Alice glanced at it. "Ah yes, McGonagall's N.E.W.T. Transfiguration class." She made a face. "Should be fun…well, at least we're in it together."

"Yeah," Oliver said vaguely, taking the proffered schedule and cramming it into his bag. "Well…see you there, I suppose."

Students everywhere were standing and moving, signaling the end of breakfast and the start of classes. Alice and Penny headed in one direction, and Oliver quickly caught up with Fred and George.

"So what _was _that dream about, Oliver?" George questioned slyly. They were standing in the entrance to the Great Hall, about to part ways for their different classes.

"It was nothing," Oliver said shortly, heaving his bag onto his shoulder. "I didn't have a dream."

"Oliver?" Fred said sweetly.

"Yes?"

"You are the worst liar I have ever seen."

"Class!" said McGonagall sharply. The seventh years were busy chattering away about the start of classes, and catching up on summer news. But they went quiet as she resumed her place in front of the neatly paired desks.

"Welcome, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, to my N.E.W.T. Transfiguration Preparation Course. You will have to study hard and pay attention, or you will not pass the final. I will not put up with troublemakers in this class. You shall respect me as well as your classmates." She pulled out a piece of rolled parchment. "When I call your name, please state 'present' and seat yourself alphabetically…Adaget, Polly…Abuld, Royce…"

She proceeded through the list, and the students shuffled their things and moved to where she indicated. Alice did some quick calculations and determined that she would be sitting between Oliver Wood and Percy Weasley.

Sure enough. "Weasley, Percy…Whiting, Alice…Wood, Oliver." McGonagall rolled up the parchment and bade them all take out _Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven_.

Alice was reading page two, paragraph six ("from inanimate to animate—the complexities of giving life to objects"), but was finding that being in very close proximity to Oliver was difficult. As the desks were in rows of two, she was seated beside Oliver. And since they shared the same working space, their elbows would often bump, or their shoulders rub against each other. Alice wondered if he noticed these small things that distracted her so. She had read the same sentence several times, but hadn't taken in a word of it. Oliver did not seem to be having problems concentrating, however.

McGonagall's voice cut into Alice's thoughts. "I expect you shall be finished now. Inanimate to animate is something you should have learned early on at Hogwarts, but you will find the level of difficulty increases drastically during the N.E.W.T.s. So, books away, wands out."

Alice put her book away, though she had not made it past the first sentence of the paragraph. McGonagall had called upon Polly Adaget to pass out paper clips, which McGonagall informed them they would be transfiguring into vole rats. A few people scoffed.

"It will not be so easy when we move beyond introductions," she said severely.

Alice stared at her paper clip, and then at her wand. Transfiguration had always been one of her best subjects, but she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of the class…who was she kidding? She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Oliver. He, too, was preparing to transfigure his paper clip. And though they both murmured the incantation simultaneously, there were different results. Alice's paper clip became a little vole rat that began to scurry along the desk. She trapped it with her hands and looked to see Oliver's progress.

He laughed shortly, and with no humor. "There is no way I am going to pass this class, much less score well on the N.E.W.T.s." Oliver said, more to himself than Alice. He looked dejectedly at his work. The paper clip had enlarged a fair amount, and had gray hair, but was still shaped curiously. He said the incantation again, and the wire seemed to fatten a bit. After one more try, he managed a vole rat.

McGonagall was walking between the desks holding a cage. "Nice job, Mr. Weasley, first try, I see. And you too, Miss Whiting, not bad at all. Mr. Wood, tut tut. The tail is still wire. Well, there's always room for improvement…"

Oliver stared at his desk dejectedly, and would not meet Alice's gaze. The rest of the class passed in a hurry, and soon the students were packing up their books.

"To be turned in next Monday…copy the chart on page seven in your text books. Explain the process of the wire becoming a breathing animal. Nine inches of parchment. Class dismissed."

"Hey Oliver! Wait up!"

Oliver turned to see Alice bouncing down the corridor. She was petite to be seventeen, and was having some trouble pushing through the crowd. "Yes?" he said without emotion. Transfiguration had set him in a very cloudy mood.

"Where are you headed?" she said, with a sunny smile on her face. They had some free time before dinner that was often used for walking the grounds, doing homework, or hanging with mates.

Oliver shrugged. "I thought I'd work out some plays for the upcoming Quidditch season." His voice was nonchalant. Oliver's legs were a fair amount longer than Alice's, and she was walking very fast to keep up. He didn't slow down.

"That's nice." She looked a little dejected, but her voice remained cheery. "Well, see you at dinner." And she disappeared in the crowd. Oliver frowned and made his way up to the common room. It was quite a strange interaction. By the time he got to the painted lady, he was kicking himself (and that is a hard thing to do) for not being friendlier.

"Just because I was in a bad mood because I'm awful at Transfiguration, I ruined what could have been a nice talk…" he muttered to himself as he climbed the dormitory stairs to get his model of the Quidditch field.

Alice sat in the Ravenclaw common room, re-copying her Potions essay and talking with Penelope.

"So how was your first day of classes?" Penny asked, looking over star charts.

"Not bad, not bad. I'm sitting beside Oliver in Transfiguration."

Penny made a face. "I'm sitting beside Michael Cimmons. He's really not that nice, you know. Made a nasty comment about my vole rat looking more like a field mouse. What does he know, after all?"

Alice nodded, noticing that Penny had not picked up on her comment about Oliver. "Penny, what is the third ingredient you have to add to Polyjuice Potion?"

"Lacewings."

"Right."

Alice decided to try again. "Oliver's a good working partner. He's not exactly the best at Transfiguration, though."

"Hmm," Penny mumbled. "Then why is he in a N.E.W.T. class?"

"Dunno…maybe he's a bit rusty." Alice desperately needed Penelope to say something…anything, about Oliver.

"You should tutor him, Alice," Penny said matter-of-factly. She was still studying her star chart. "Transfiguration is your best subject, and you obviously fancy him."

Alice resented the fact that Penny had not even looked up from her charts. She hated that Penny had such a realistic view on life…Couldn't she say something that did not make sense for once…something crazy and fun, suggest something off the wall, do something besides her homework. Then Alice stopped. Penelope was her best friend. She was just being a bit corrupted by her pompous boyfriend.

"I do not fancy him," Alice said defensively, still a bit hurt at her friend's lack of interest.

"Yes you do," Penny said, now carefully labeling planets.

"I'm going to bed." Alice declared.

"Goodnight, then."

The truth of the matter was that Alice had thought of tutoring him, but somehow, his demeanor in the hall had discouraged her. Plus, she would have to suggest that he wasn't very good at Transfiguration, and she didn't want to make anyone angry.

She changed into her blue-striped pajamas and crawled into her four-poster. It was early, and none of the other girls had come up from the common room. Alice stared upwards for a little while before she drifted into a dream-filled sleep.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Sorry this chapter has taken so long, and I hope you weren't to bored!

Thanks to Anaili, Tokyo Nights, Starlightgerl, soccer-bitch, oOoELOoOo, Jayne1, Celebrimiel Hirilaure, and Blue Firefly for the sweet reviews and support! As always, any helpful critiquing will always be appreciated, so R&R!

Love,

Aerianaa


End file.
